Process and machine for drawing wire



Jan. 8, 1929. 1,697,863

J B. GREEN PROCESS AND MACHINE FOR DRAWING WIRE Filed Aug. 6, 1925 w JJ.J Dun/102 67 67 6612,

5 fected in rapid sequence with the wire' Patented Jan. 8, i929.

assures j FFKCE.

J BIRCHARD GREEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PROCESS AND MACHINE FOR DRAWING WIRE.

Application filed August 6, 1925. Serial No. 48,465.

In the manufacture of wire by the methods and means heretofore employed,it has not been practicable to draw the wire at a high rate of speed,since, with those machines which operate but one pass at a time, thefirst pass and each of the subsequent passes must be drawn slowly or thewire will tangle and break as it leaves the. take-off swift or reel,and, with those machines which operate all of the passes in continuoussequence, the first pass must be drawn slowly to prevent the wire fromtang 'ng as it leaves the swift and the subsequent passes can only bestepped up in speed over the first pass to the extent to whichthe wireis lengthened as a result.

of the preceding passes- It is quite desirable, however, that the wirebe drawn at a high rate of speed after the first pass because thecoefiicient of the friction involved in the drawing varies inverselywith the speed atwhich the wire is drawn, and, if the wire be drawn at ahigh rate of speed, not only is production to that extent increased, butthe tension on the wire is reduced, the liability of breakage isminimized and the wear on the dies is lessened.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a machine with whichwire may be drawn at a high rate of speed without liability of'tanglingand consequent breakage.

Another object is to provide a machine of the character described withwhich all of the necessary wire drawing passes may be efthreaded throughbut one die at a time and moving first in one dinection and then in theother.

Other objects and advantages will be evident upon a full comprehensionof the novel construction, arrangement and operation of the machine. a

The machine comprises essentially two wire carrying bobbins which arearranged on opposite sides of the wire drawing die and are connectiblealternately -with a power source for rotation, whereby the wire, afterbeing drawn slowly through the die from a swift orreel and wound ontoone bobbin, may be drawn rapidly in the reverse direction through asmaller die and wound onto the other bobbin, then drawn rapidly in there- Verse direction through astill smaller die and wound back onto thefirst bobbbin, and

so on, the wire being drawn back and forth rapidly from one bobbin tothe other until the wire has been reduced to the desired size. In orderthat the invention may be readily understood, one embodiment of the sameis set forth in the accompanying drawing'and following description, but,as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the invention isalso susceptible of embodiment in modified forms coming includes twowire carrying bobbins 10 and 11 which are arranged on opposite sides-0fa -wire drawing die 12.

The bobbins, together with their associated mechanisms, are substantially following description of one will therefore suffice for both.

Each bobbin is detachably secured to a horizontal shaft 13 which isjournalled within and ing frame 14.: The shaft 13 is arranged inalignment with a continuously rotating shaft 15 which is operated from avertical shaft 16, and the shaft 16 is rotated from a horizon.-

tal shaft 17 which is preferably common 'to on the driving mechanisms ofboth bobbins.

associated bobbin, have a slow or reduced driving connection with. theshaft 15 under certain operating conditions; that it'have a 05 fast orone-to-one driving connection with the shaft under other conditions; andthat it be free to idle relative to the shaft under still otherconditions. While, the connections mentioned may obviously be eflectedin 100 a great many different ways, one simple. instrumentality consistsof a double faced clutch member 18 which is s'plined' to the shaft 13and is shiftable axially thereof, be

ing movable in one direction into driving en- 105 gagement with a clutchmember 19 which is secured to the shaft l5, and being movable in theother direction into driving engagement with a clutch member 20 which isfreely journalled on the shaft 13 and is connected by are thecomprehensive scope of at through one of 3-3 of Fig. 2. The machineillustrated in the drawings duplicates of each other, and theprojectsfrom one side of a support- It is desirable that the shaft13,with its gears'21 to a countershaft 22 15. When the is disconnected'fromthe driving means and i is free to rotate independently thereof. The

- clutch member 18 may be shifted into or out of any one of the threepositions of the same by means of a cfinveniently located control lever24-which is connected with the membobbin, a simple means the movement ofthe her through a pivoted shifting yoker25 and an intermediate link 26.

It is desirable that the wire be wound onto or ofl of each bobbinhelically in layers. While this may be accomplished equally well eitherby reciprocating the bobbin or by reciprocating' a wire guide in advanceof the for the purpose consists of a guide 27 which is slidably mountedona horizontal rod28 in frontof the bobbin and is horizontallyreciprocated thereon by a blade 29 which extends from the guide into oneof two intersecting andend connected helical grooves in a shaft 30 belowthe rod 28. The shaft 30 is connected by gears 31 to the shaft 13 onwhich the-bobbin is secured, and, when the shaft 30 is rotated by shaft13, the guide 27 .will be caused to travel from one side of the bobbinto the other at a speed proportionate to the speed of rotation of thebobbin, irre-.

spective of whether the bobbin is serving as the receiving element forthe wire and is be ing driven or whether it is serving as the take-offelement and is merely idling.

Each bobbinpreferably has in association therewith an ordinary wiredrawing'block 32. The block 32 may be detachably secured to a verticallyextending shaft which is journalled in and plgojects from the top bf thesupporting fr is rigidly carried mounted on-a supporting frame 40, andthe ame 14 in 'alignment with the previously described shaft 16. Theshaft 33, withits associated block, may be connected with the shaft 16by means of a clutch member 34 which is splined to the shaft 33 and ismovable into engagement with a clutch member 35 which is secured to theupper end of the shaft 16. The clutch member 34 may be moved intoengagement with the clutch member 35 by means of a foot treadle 36'which is connected with the member 35 through a pivot shift yoke 37 andan intermediate link 38. 1

The die 12, which usual series of interchangeable reducing dies, in adie box '39 which is wire being drawn is trained over suitable guides 41which are mounted on the frame 40 on opposite sides of the die.

- If it is desired that the wire be what is known as a wet drawnproduct, each bobbin may have in association therewith a small tank 42which is filled with the usual liquid on to the other. succeeding passwith the exception of the may be any (ine in the 'first in one and ismovable below the bobbin from a lowfollows One end of the wire to bedrawn isthread ed through the die 12 and is clamped to a flexibleconnector which extends through the guides 41 and 27 to one of thebobbins. Then the clutch controlling the rotation of the bobbinto whichthe wire is thus connected is thrownin to cause the bobbin to rotate ata slow speed, and the wire is as a consequence drawn slowly throughthetdie from the swift or reel on which it was initially positioned andwound helically in layers on the bobbin.

At the completion of the first pass, the clutch is thrown intoneutraland the end of the wire last through the die is rethreaded in theopposite direction through a substitute die ofsmaller size and isclamped to another flexible con ector which extends through the other 5other of the bobbins. trolling the rotation of that bobbin is thrown into cause the bobbin to rotate at a high speed-this being possiblebecause the wire is being unwound methodically from the other bobbin andwill not tangleand the I wire is as a consequence drawn' rapidly throughthe die in the reverse direction, 'being unwound off of one bobbin andwound This is repeated for each last, the wire being drawn rapidly firstin one direction and then in ing transferred from one of the bobbins tothe other during the drawing.

At the commencement of the last pass, the end of the wire last throughthe die is connected to the block adjacent the empty bobbin, and'theclutch controlling the rotation of that blockis thrown in and thewire iswound rapidly ontothe block in a readily removable coil.

If it is desired that the wire be wet drawn,

it is only necessary during each of the several drawing passes, to raisethe tank 42 under uides 41 and 27 to the Then the clutch ccnthe otherand bei the receiving bobbin and lower the tank under the take-offbobbin. h

In addition to the advantages of the machine which have already beenreferred to, it may be mentioned that the manner in which the wire isdrawn-by the machine, direction and then in the other, tends to healincipient fractures in the wire,

since tension fractures in drawn wire assume a conical form in thedirection of pull, and

serves to break up the development of such fractures. The decrease inwear on the die permits of drawing greater lengths of wire with bettermaintenance of accuracy than heretofore attainable. It is not necessaryto strip blocks between each pass, and the wire does not have to belifted except at the start and finish of the several passes.Furthermore, while the passes are made in rapid sequence, only one passis drawn at atime, so:

that if the wire does break only a single operation is interrupted andbut one rethreading is required. This feature alone marks a substantialimprovement over the multiple pass machines heretofore employed, sincein the latter machines, the speed of operation is limited to thenecessarily slow speed of the initial pass of stock taken from swift orreel, and, if the Wire breaks at any pass, it shuts down all of thepasses and requires rethreading of all of the dies.

I claim:

1. A wire drawing machine, comprising a die for reducing a wire passedtherethrough, two rotatable bobbins positioned on opposite sides of thedie for carrying the wire before and after it is passed through the diein either direction,- means for causing the wire to wind helically inlayers on either bobbin upon rotation of the same in one direction, tworotatable blocks also positioned on opposite sides of the die fordrawing the wire means for transmitting power to either bobbin or eitherblock to effect rotation of either bobbin at low speed on the first passand at high speed on the subsequent passes and rotation of either blockat high speed on the last pass.

2. In a Wire drawing machine, the combi nation with a die for reducing awire passed therethrough, of two rotatable bobbins positioned onopposite sides of the die for care rying the wire before and after it ispassed through the die in either direction, two rotatable blocks alsopositioned on opposite sides of the die for drawing the wire into aremovable coil on the last pass, and means for rotating either bobbin oreither block.

into a removable coil on the last pass, and

3. In a wire drawing machine, the combination with a die for reducing awire passed therethrough, of two rotatable bobbins positioned onopposite sides of the die for carrying the wire before and after it ispassed through the die in either direction, means for causing the wireto wind helically in layers on either bobbin upon rotation of the samein one direction, two rotatable blocks also positioned on opposite sidesof the die for drawing the wire into a removable coil on the last pass,and means for rotating either bobbin or either block.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

J BIRCHARD GREEN.

